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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment

Shelf censorship at my library’s sin bin

Twitter Inc. Voter
Books on a shelf at a public library
Ann Newell remembers some under-the-counter dealings as a library assistant in the late 1960s. Photograph: AztecBlue/Alamy

Starting work as a library assistant in the latter part of the 1960s, I found books deemed to be unsuitable for displaying on the open shelves were put in a “sin bin” under the counter (Third of UK librarians asked to censor or remove books, research reveals, 20 April). Borrowers (usually male) were aware of this, and would ask the librarian if there was anything for them.
Ann Newell
Thame, Oxfordshire

• I have good news for Maureen Oxley (Letters, 18 April). She can apply for a voter authority certificate, which is for those without an accepted form of photo ID. But she must move fast – the deadline is 5pm on 25 April.
Barry Hughes
Edinburgh

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